Pass a Violence against Women Act That Protects American Indian Women

Pass a Violence against Women Act That Protects American Indian Women

Article excerpt

Eighty-six percent of the perpetrators of sexual offenses against
American Indian women are non-Indian, but tribal police have no
authority to detain them. The House must pass a reauthorization of
the Violence Against Women Act that includes key protections for
American Indian women.

Violence against women is a distressingly common problem in all
segments of US society, but American Indian women and girls are
particularly vulnerable to sexual and domestic violence. Data show
that a shocking 1 in 3 American Indian women have been raped in
their lifetime - twice the national average. The rate of domestic
violence victimization is even higher, with more than 2 out of 5
American Indian women experiencing violence at the hands of a
husband or boyfriend.

The National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence, which is
the largest US survey devoted to the victimization experiences of
children and youth, shows that this vulnerability even extends to
American Indian girls. The survey, which is conducted by David
Finkelhor, Heather Turner, and myself, found that 1 in 10 American
Indian girls have been raped in our sample of youth, which includes
17-year-olds and younger. This is nine times the average for other
American girls. We also found that 2 out of 5 American Indian girls
have witnessed domestic violence between their parents - a rate that
is 2 1/2 times higher than the US average for other girls.

Such high rates of violence are a call to action. The Senate has
passed a version of the re-authorization of the Violence Against
Women Act that includes legal reforms that are an important first
step toward helping American Indian victims of sexual and family
violence. The House of Representatives version was stripped of the
provisions to enhance support for American Indian victims. The House
needs to agree to pass the Senate version or add these key
provisions back when both houses meet in conference to reconcile the
two versions.

One striking way that sexual violence against American Indian
women is different is that almost all of the perpetrators are non-
Indian. Eighty-six percent of the perpetrators of sexual offenses
against American Indian women are non-Indian, according to Bureau of
Justice Statistics data from the US Department of Justice. This
differs sharply from patterns for other US ethnic groups.

For example, according to the same data, only 27 percent of white
female victims have nonwhite perpetrators, and only 17 percent of
African-American rape victims are assaulted by non-African-American
men. …